Training Tips

Fireworks Fun for us, scary for dogs

By Robert Crough

The Fourth of July brings forth feelings of great weather, family, and patriotism to name a few. Through our dogs eyes it means fight, flight, fear and danger. More dogs are lost on the Fourth of July than any other time. Here are a few simple tips to help keep your pet safe.

It is worth noting that most Fourth of July lost dogs are escapes. Always make sure to helicopter mom your gate latches and leash equipment. Simply keeping a diligent eye on these can save you great heartache.

Beyond management of gates is training. The golden rule of working with fireworks is never try to train in the heat of the moment. You want to practice and prepare for the event. A couple of weeks before is best.

There are basic methods that can help aid you.

Exercise and lots of it—a tired dog is a good dog, and a good dog is easier to keep calm.

The use of different equipment such as Thundershirt, which helps slow the breathing and heart rate, backpacks for aid in exercise, calming caps and anxiety vests can help.

Desensitization is the best way to help dogs ignore sounds. You can start this process by taking your dog on a longer than usual walk in a strange place to help burn as much physical and mental energy as possible. When the dog comes home they should be tired and a bit hungry. With Youtube and a speaker, quietly play some sounds that do not scare the dog like running water, flutes, etc. Using very high value food, simply get the dog’s attention, and have them do a simple command like “sit”. You want the dog to ignore the flute and waterfall sounds and communicate with you for good scraps. Keeping the sound low, switch to a sound you want to desensitize to like fireworks and continue to reward the dog for ignoring the firework sound. Then back to the good sounds. Rinse and repeat. Slowly increasing the volume of the sound of the fireworks or thunderstorms as you practice. This will help the dog accept the sound as background noise and avoid and ignore instead of instinctively going into flight and fear mode.

It is hard to give across the board advice on such a nuisanced subject. All dogs are individuals and it is always best to contact a professional dog trainer to help you come up with a specific plan for your dog.

Robert Crough Owner/Professional Trainer Paradigm Dog School

(616) 796 2275

Paradigmds@gmail.com

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